a comforting family dish with pumpkin, pancetta and a crispy cheesy crust
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr
Servings: 4people
Author: Amanda Lawson
Ingredients
250gshort pasta
1butternut pumpkin, peeled & cut into 2 cm cubesabout 500 g
200gpancetta, sliced into thin strips
1/2cupbreadcrumbs
1/2cupgrated parmesan cheese
1lemon, zested
1/4cup olive oil
Italian parsley
Bechamel Sauce
50gunsalted butter
50g plain flour
200mlmilk (I used low-fat)
1/2nutmeg, gratedor 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
sea salt & black pepper
Instructions
Preheat the grill to 200°C. Line an oven tray with foil and lay out the pancetta strips. Cook for 10 minutes until they start to crisp up. Remove from the grill and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan-forced). Line a second oven tray with baking paper and spread out the cubed pumpkin. Cook for 20 minutes. It will be a little soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven.
While the pumpkin is cooking, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions and make the bechamel sauce.
Toss the pasta, pumpkin and pancetta together in a casserole or baking dish (I use a round casserole dish, 25 cm diameter, 6 cm deep).
Pour the bechamel sauce over the top, making sure everything is coated with the sauce.
In a small bowl, mix together the breadcrumbs, grated parmesan and lemon zest and sprinkle over the top of the pasta mixture.
Drizzle with olive oil and cook in 180°C oven (160°C fan-forced) for 30 minutes until crispy and golden on top.
Garnish with parsley leaves and serve.
Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a medium heat. Whisk in the flour until incorporated and cook for another minute.
Gradually whisk in the milk, and continue to whisk over a medium heat for about 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened, to the consistency of custard. Remove from the heat.
Add the nutmeg and season to taste.
Notes
The entire dish can be prepared a day ahead and then reheated. Bring to room temperature for an hour before cooking.